Summary: Need help with PR? If you are looking for a great PR firm, you've found one. Walker Sands is a leading Chicago PR firm with a strong track record that makes it one of top national PR agencies..

After losing five jobs in seven years to downsizing, David Hodgson decided a few months ago to buy a business and become his own boss.

It seems like it should have been the perfect time - the median price for a business is down 20 percent over a year ago, and fewer are selling. That should mean a buyer's market. The picture, however, is far more complicated, as Hodgson and others looking to buy are finding out. To start with, there are fewer businesses on the market, said Mike Handelsman, general manager of Bizbuysell.com, an online marketplace for businesses. It seems the down economy may be causing owners to hang on to their businesses a little longer. Maybe they can't afford to retire or maybe they can't find other opportunities. Hodgson found that the business owners who were selling weren't budging on their asking price, which surprised him. "They want to sell, but they weren't highly motivated," he said.

The demand for businesses should be growing as more workers are laid off. The problem is that many of those potential buyers are scared off by fears about the future of the economy. Those who aren't are having a hard time finding financing. "People were using their home equity, but there's not so much of that anymore," said Todd Smith, a broker with the Corbett Restaurant Group. In addition, the banks generally have become more reluctant to lend money. That means some buyers can't qualify and those who might be considered good loan candidates face added pressure to prove that they're getting a good deal.

The financing turned out to be the hardest part about buying the Crossroads Cafe in Hanover, said new owner Ed Pappas. He bought the eatery about a year ago after having no luck at finding a job in finance. Pappas relied on his background in managing restaurants and owning franchises to show that the cafe was in a good location with a solid menu to draw in enough customers. Back then, businesses were still selling quickly. The slowdown started in the last quarter of 2008 and there's no sign of a reversal.

Sales of businesses were off by 60 percent in Greater Boston in the second quarter of 2009 compared to a year ago. That's slightly more than the national decline of 50 percent. A turnaround isn't expected until the credit market eases and until more business owners decide it's time to sell.

As for Hodgson and his wife, Melissa, the timing of the market wasn't the problem. It was the timing of the recent weather trend. After much research, they bought Cold Stone Creamery franchises in Bellingham and Southboro, figuring that ice cream is a popular product with a long shelf life and little waste. They didn't figure on one of the coldest summers in recent history. Thankfully, it warmed up in August and the Hodgsons are optimistic that it will be a warm fall. Hodgson found that the business owners who were selling weren't budging on their asking price, which surprised him.